NOVEL WEB Chapter 892: The Path is Fraught with Obstacles
After returning to the Thunderfire Star Cave, two and a half years passed in the blink of an eye.
During this period, Lu Xuan did not rush to the Incomplete Cave Heaven. Instead, he mostly stayed in his cave abode, cultivating spiritual plants and enhancing his strength, making additional preparations for entering the Void.
His range of activities was limited; he occasionally visited the Star Plucking Building to fulfill his duties as a Commerce Association Guest Elder and casually collected spirit stones in the grocery store.
Or he might visit the cave abode of a fellow cultivator he knew well, enjoying Spirit Fruit Spirit Brew and chatting about the daily routine of cultivation.
The many spiritual plants in the Spirit Field were growing well, full of life and vigor.
Among them, several types were not far from full maturity, including the fourth-grade Ice Fire Grass and fifth-grade Thousand Forms Grass. The Star Fruits growing in the air and the Dongxuan Sword Gourd in the Sword Grass Spirit Field...
"The Thunder Fury Lotus has finally all matured."
Lu Xuan arrived at a Spirit Field covered with Silver White Sandstones.
In the field, dozens of silver-white lotuses blossomed freely, each with a pale white lotus pod at the center brimming with Thunder Fury Lotus Seeds.
Around the pods, thunder light flashed. Threads of lightning cascaded down like waterfalls from the edges of the lotuses, creating an imposing sight.
Lu Xuan carefully navigated through them, fearful of accidentally setting off these highly unstable spiritual plants.
To obtain more Evil-Slaying Spirit Thunder, he had previously requested that the Commerce Association help him locate a total of fifty-six Thunder Fury Lotus Spirit Seeds.
Every single one matured successfully, including those of good and superior quality.
After harvesting one by one, fifty-six White Light Groups appeared one after another, twinkling subtly, reflecting each other's glow.
A hint of a smile emerged on Lu Xuan's face.
"What a great harvest."
With a flash of his figure, a silver-white light instantly swept across the entire Spirit Field.
In an instant, dozens of light clusters shattered nearly at the same time, and a myriad of fine light particles burst into the air, turning the surroundings into a vast expanse of white.
Then, countless light particles transformed into streams of light rivers, eagerly rushing into Lu Xuan's body.
In his mind, thoughts flashed by like a rapidly-scrolled lantern show.
[Harvested a fourth-grade Thunder Fury Lotus, received a fifth-grade Talisman Thunder Escape Talisman.]
[Harvested a fourth-grade Thunder Fury Lotus, received a Treasure Item Evil-Slaying Spirit Thunder.]
[Harvesting...]
The thoughts disappeared, and dozens of golden Spirit Thunder suddenly materialized in front of Lu Xuan, swimming around like fish.
In addition, there were more than ten Silver White Crystal Pills and more than ten Silver White Talismans.
In the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, a relentless flow of information forced Lu Xuan to stand still, striving to assimilate it all.
Out of the fifty-six light clusters, twenty-five yielded Evil-Slaying Spirit Thunder. Together with the thirty-seven he had accumulated earlier, he now possessed a total of sixty-two.
"I wonder which Evil Cultivator or Evil Demon will be so fortunate as to endure the baptism of so many Evil-Slaying Spirit Thunders," Lu Xuan thought to himself.
With a thought, more than twenty golden Spirit Thunders entered his Dantian in an orderly fashion, as if they were well-trained.
This time, he also obtained seven Experience Packs of the "Divine Cloud True Law", Thunder Control Chapter. Commanding Spirit Thunder had become as easy as moving his arm, completely under his control.
Furthermore, there were thirteen Fifth Grade Thunder Escape Talismans and eleven Fifth Grade Thunder Baleful Pills.
He already possessed a large number of high-rank treasures, and being at the Golden Core Late Stage Realm, both the Thunder Escape Talisman and the Thunder Baleful Pill were of limited use to him.
However, for other cultivators, it was a completely different story. The private auction he held last time had fetched a price for the Thunder Escape Talisman that was quite satisfying to him.
"I'll gather some more and then organize another similar event to harvest a wave of spirit stones or perhaps trade for a few high-grade spirit seeds," Lu Xuan thought to himself.
With the success of the first event and proper promotion of the subsequent ones, he would surely attract a large number of Jindan and even Primordial Infant Cultivators to come.
After reaping a bounty of Light Cluster rewards, Lu Xuan continued to inspect the remaining Spiritual Plants, ensuring that every one of them received the most meticulous care.
Once he had tended to all the Spiritual Plants, seeing that the day was still young, he decided to pay a visit to an acquaintance among the Cultivators.
The Cultivator's name was Guo Bingqiu, at the Golden Core Late Stage Realm, whose Cave Abode was only a few hundred miles away, a place Lu Xuan had visited quite a few times.
During the last incursion by Evil Demons into the Central Continent, it was he who organized a group of Jindan Cultivators to join forces, hunting down dozens of Evil Demons and exchanging them for Superior Quality Treasure Items at the Heavenly Star Cave.
After acquiring the Treasure Item, his strength greatly increased, and he became even more keen on exploring various Secret Lands in search of fortune.
But luck did not always stand on his side; from what other familiar Cultivators said, Guo Bingqiu had accidentally suffered severe injuries while entering a perilous place, affecting his very foundation. Fortunately, he managed to cling to life and had already returned to his Cave Abode for recuperation.
It wasn't long before Lu Xuan arrived outside Guo Bingqiu's Cave Abode.
"Fellow Guo, are you in the Cave Abode? This is Lu Xuan, coming to visit you."
Lu Xuan projected his voice inside.
"Friend Lu, please, come in."
An elderly voice entered his ears, and in an instant, Guo Bingqiu appeared in front of Lu Xuan.
He appeared to be in poor condition, his complexion pale, utterly devoid of color, with a Profound Talisman sealing his Qi Sea in the Core Field.
"I happenstance heard from Thunder Fellow Daoist that Fellow Guo was accidentally injured. May I ask if you are feeling somewhat better now?"
Lu Xuan asked in a deep voice.
"Thanks to Friend Lu's concern, this old life of mine has been saved," said Guo Bingqiu with a feeble smile as he led Lu Xuan into the Cave Abode.
"Fellow Guo, here is a bottle of Spirit Brew called Green Condensation Dew. Lu Mou brewed it personally, and drinking it has quite the effect in healing various injuries."
After taking a seat, Lu Xuan took out a bottle of Emerald Green Spirit Liquid from his Storage Bag and presented it to Guo Bingqiu.
"Friend Lu, you are too kind. Guo Mou is deeply grateful," said Guo Bingqiu hastily, his Spiritual Sense probing briefly and sensing the dense, pure Spiritual Energy within the Green Condensation Dew, feeling even more grateful.
After he was seriously injured, less than half of many familiar Cultivators had come to visit him, and none had brought up Superior Quality healing Treasure Items specifically like Lu Xuan had.
"Fellow Guo is too polite; this is what Lu Mou should do," said Lu Xuan with a bow, then shifted the topic.
"What does Fellow Daoist plan for the future?"
"This time, it was already quite fortunate to barely escape with my life from the Demonfall Cave."
"The severe injury to my Qi Sea in the Core Field almost caused my Realm to fall, and for many years from now, I should recuperate quietly within my Cave Abode, hoping to find a way to fully recover."
Perhaps because of the Green Condensation Dew that Lu Xuan had given, which greatly closed the distance between the two, Guo Bingqiu showed a sincere expression and openly shared.
"Friend Guo has been at the Golden Core Late Stage Realm for many years, with exceptional talent. Once your injuries are healed, you will surely be able to advance further and achieve new glories," Lu Xuan said with a smile.
"It's too difficult," Guo Bingqiu said, shaking his head upon hearing this.
"I don't have much lifespan left, and every opportunity is extremely important to me."
"If I continue to make progress and obtain various Fortuitous Treasure Items, there might be a sliver of hope to advance to the Primordial Infant stage."
"But this injury has set me back instead of forward, completely cutting off any further possibilities."
A trace of regret flickered in his eyes.
"The path is fraught with hardships; taking one step back could cause one to trail further behind than others. How then can I surpass other Cultivators who are yearning for the Great Dao?"
Guo Bingqiu sighed endlessly, sipped the Spiritual Tea, and found it bitterly astringent.